1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of toy action figures and games and, in particular, to a surf toy action figure and associated simulated surfing game for play simulation of a live-action surfing experience.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the last several decades, surfing and associated wave riding activities, e.g., knee-boarding, body-boarding, skim-boarding, surf-kayaking, inflatable riding, and body surfing (all hereinafter collectively referred to as “wave-riding”) have grown in popularity along the world's surf endowed coastal shorelines.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,280, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, first disclosed the concept of an artificial simulated wave water ride attraction having an inclined ride surface covered with an injected sheet flow of water upon which riders could perform water skimming maneuvers simulative of actual ocean surfing. Sheet flow water rides are currently in widespread use at many water parks and other locations around the world. Such rides allow the creation of an ideal live-action surfing wave experience even in areas that do not have access to beaches or an ocean.
However, live-action water rides are generally expensive to construct and operate and, therefore, are not particularly well suited for very small-scale operations such as local family entertainment centers, arcades or similar venues. For these venues video-simulated surfing games have been used to recreate a surfing-like experience within a compact enclosure or game console. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,950 discloses a video game in which the game player is able to move a figure of a surfer on a video screen by standing on a simulated surfboard and moving the board with his feet; movements of the board from side to side and forward and backward are translated instantaneously to corresponding movements of the surfboard shown on the video screen, allowing the surfing figure to be maneuvered around obstacles, and up and down waves.
While such video-simulated surfing games are generally well-suited for small scale applications, such as video arcades and the like, they lack the realistic live-action, hydro-dynamic surfing experience of actual ocean surfing.